What was your favorite part about celebrating Halloween as a kid? Did you spend weeks planning your costume, like my then-10-year-old son who sculpted one out of cardboard and duct tape? Did you hit the streets as soon as school let out, not to return home until every doorbell in the neighborhood was rung?
My favorite memories were separating my candy cache into categories: bubblegum, candy bars, and lollipops. Then the tallying began. I carried the tradition over to my own family, sitting on the floor with my children helping them sort their trick-or-treat booty (lucky for me they don’t like Snickers).
But who says Halloween is just for the kiddies? The autumn holiday has grown up over the years, and there are plenty of adult-oriented parties happening all over the country. Check out these infamous haunts.
• West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval
The streets around Los Angeles are always jam-packed, but on October 31st, Santa Monica Boulevard is filled with costumed revelers. Organizers estimate 500,000 show up to the country’s largest Halloween street party.
• Greenwich Village Halloween Parade
Not to be outdone by their West Coast rivals, New Yorkers flock to Greenwich Village to partake in the ghouly festivities, including live music from 53 bands.
• Freakfest in Madison, Wisconsin
Madison may be the state capital, but it remains a college town at heart. For decades, students descended onto State Street for an “unofficial” Halloween party. The spirited nature lives on with plenty of libations and entertainment.
• Salem Witches’ Halloween Ball
Can there be a more witchy town than Salem, Mass.? This time of year, the city embraces its notorious history. AOL’s CityGuide rated the annual Salem Witches’ Halloween Ball one of America’s top parties.
If you were a ghost, where would you want to wander eternity? Why not the Big Easy? New Orleans long has been rumored to host many spirits of the dearly departed. Take your chances of ghostly encounters on one of the French Quarter tours—Hauntings, Vampire, Cemetery, or Voodoo. Then share your tale over a potion at one of the many Halloween parties, often a dress rehearsal to Mardi Gras.
• Halloween Historical Highlights
The celebration dates back 2,000 years to the Celtic festival of Samhain. Southern colonies honored the harvest with “play parties.” The immigration wave of the 1800s brought Celtic traditions, like costumes, to the United States. Today, Americans spend approximately $6 billion annually on Halloween.
Anne Baye Ericksen is a freelance writer based in Simi Valley, Calif.